Deserving of a Distinguished Service Medal: HARMAN’s Crown Retires Its D Series Power Amplifiers

ELKHART, Indiana — HARMAN’s Crown Audio today announced that after 37 years of continuous production the company is discontinuing its D Series power amplifiers. In a run that’s unprecedented in the history of professional audio amplifiers, the Crown D Series became ubiquitous worldwide for its outstanding sound and unshakable reliability, and as the D Series era draws to a close, its legacy is embodied in every current Crown product.

“Little did the 1977 engineering development team know that the new D75 would turn out to be the longest running product of the company. During its lifetime over 100,000 were produced. Generations of dedicated assembly personnel have touched the D75 and contributed to its long life. It epitomizes the focus we have to do our best and satisfy our customers,” stated Tom Szerencse, Manufacturing Engineer, HARMAN Professional Amplifier Business Unit.

The Crown D Series evolved from modest beginnings. “In 1977 we developed the D Series from the Crown SA20-20, a one-rack-space 20 watt per channel solid-state stereo power amp that was an accessory to the Crown tape recorders of the time,” said Gerald Stanley, Director of Research, HARMAN Professional Amplifier Business Unit. “However, when mounted in a rack the tape recorders and their electronics left little room for accessories, which shaped the compact form factor of the D Series and the rack-mount-ability of Crown amplifiers ever after.”

The Crown D Series soon became ever-present. After 37 years these amps are everywhere, in the studio, on stage, in broadcast facilities, in fixed installations and even in homes. The odds are almost everyone has heard one. Models like the moderate-power D-75A and D-45 were ideal for applications like recording and broadcast studio near-field monitoring and small paging systems, and with more than 25 years of continual production, the DC-300 has attained legendary status.

“If any amplifier line should receive a lifetime achievement award, it’s the D Series, Stanley concluded.” The Crown D Series has outlived most amplifier companies, let alone most amplifier families.”

HARMAN (www.harman.com) designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment solutions for the automotive, consumer and professional markets – supported by 15 leading brands, including AKG, Harman Kardon, Infinity, JBL, Lexicon and Mark Levinson. The company is admired by audiophiles across multiple generations and supports leading professional entertainers and the venues where they perform. More than 20 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and infotainment systems. HARMAN has a workforce of about 13,400 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported sales of $4.4 billion for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2012.